#throwback to an idea from BCM112; the produser. Remember all that about how the consumers are now becoming the producers? yep that’s it.
This is idea of the produser is due to the freedom of the internet. Legacy media is seen as high risk, exclusive, costly and has a strong quality filter, hence why the possibility of mass consumers being producers of content as well was non existent back then. But for the internet, something pretty much everyone in the third world engages in is no risk, no cost and no filter. And through those elements that the internet holds for the mass consumers, we are now able to create content as well as immerse ourselves in content.
So how this idea play into this week’s topic? It is pretty much an underlying aspect of the increasingly free nature of internet content, as we produce content and immerse ourselves in content, the reality now is that it is difficult to earn money through production of content as well as it very easy to get free copies of other content.
“The internet is a copy machine. At its most foundational level, it copies every action, every character, every thought we make while we ride upon it. In order to send a message from one corner of the internet to another, the protocols of communication demand that the whole message be copied along the way several times”
This is relevant in film making industries as eventually a film will always be released online through torrents, and once this happens, sales will be scarce. But the time window wherein the company would have money coming in is when the film is released in cinemas. The appeal of the content is what drives those to want to see the movie as soon as possible, and on a big screen with a big atmosphere. Such example is Star Wars: The Force Awakens release. Ain’t no way any star wars fan gonna wait months for the torrent to come out, they’d see it straight away. But then end up waiting months for the torrent to come out and re-watch it over and over.
To put it simply, with so much free copies of content being available in the internet, when it is so easy to access this content and without cost, this content becomes less valuable. And as a result, content that is more exclusive and scarce become more valuable. This obviously affects content producers as once upon a time, it was about selling copies of content, and with free copies that can be easily accessed, making money selling copies is A LOT harder.
ryanuow 
I like how you have broken down this topic and focusing on the produsers view of things. Although this information is becoming easier to access with less value in terms of cost there are sites such as Netflix and Spotify that have both taken this for their advantage. Both streaming sights have created value to the customer on the account of convince and lack of ads if the consumer is willing to pay a monthly fee, which a lot will do.
Here’s an article that further expands on how Netflix and Spotify are doing so well https://www.quora.com/Why-did-subscription-services-like-Netflix-and-Spotify-succeed-where-others-didnt.
With this in mind with their services taking over physical copies allows them to introduce their own content as well, such as Netflix original series. Therefore becoming the produser in a sense and adding value for the customer.
I believe in the age we are living in this is the direction we are heading in. What do you make of services like Netflix and Spotify taking streaming to the next level?
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First of all, you need to edit your work a bit more because some parts weren’t articulated well. For example, “But for the internet, something pretty much everyone in the third world engages in is no risk, no cost and no filter”. I feel like you forgot some words in there somewhere. Also, reading over your work to check if the sentences aren’t too long is always a good idea and at least create a hyperlink to the quote you used to reference properly.
Your post was titled “The Long Tail Effect” but you had no specific mention of the concept itself. Simply giving a brief overview of what it is would be beneficial to your audience and there are plenty of sources giving detailed information about the idea: https://illmindofryza1.wordpress.com/2016/08/26/the-long-tail-effect/
Although you used Star Wars as a prime example of the head of the long tail, you made no reference to any niche market that companies like Amazon and Spotify have tapped into (anything like Korean country or books about travelling to Jordan would have sufficed)..
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Great meme, it really captures the idea of making content to make money. However, people often make this mistake because the money and the value isn’t in the content itself but in everything else. I feel like you could have expanded on this further when you mentioned going to the movies to watch Stars Wars. When people start to torrent the movie, does the production company continue to make money? The answer is yes. They don’t make money from the copies of the movie on torrents but they make money on selling merchandise, games, selling rights to another movies, graphic novels movie tours, events like comic con ect. This article explains this idea: https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120213/08223317744/why-music-is-not-product-three-reasons-why-thats-good-thing.shtml
This is because where the attention flows, the money will follow. In fact, Disney expected to receive 5 billion dollars in merch. sales in 2015 when the movie was expected to reach 500 million dollars. You can read more here: http://www.forbes.com/sites/natalierobehmed/2015/12/16/how-disneys-star-wars-merchandise-is-set-to-make-billions/#1478f82841a4
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I like how you’ve broken down this weeks topic and focused on one section – produsers. Its interesting to see how Netflix and Spotify have created more value for their customers regarding their small monthly fees e.g.. to stop hearing ads between music. I personally pay for Spotify premium and Netflix so i have variety in the content that i consume. Although the online services of Netflix and Spotify completely outweigh physical copies, it has allowed these companies to create their own ‘sub genres’ (?) For example, Spotify create their own playlists for people to share. Netflix have created multiple “Netflix Originals” series. Through this, these companies are becoming produsers in order to boost their own value for the customers. Awesome blog post!
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Clear and concise blog!. Your meme is 100% accurate, it fully encompasses the whole notion that resides in internet and making money off it today. I like how you have clearly explained this weeks key themes ie the role of the produser in all of this and legacy media, breaking it up to make it an easy read!
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